Visiting chaplain from Iraq to speak on war experience

An Army chaplain in Spartanburg this weekend looking for spiritual guidance before returning overseas will deliver a message at a local church Sunday morning.

Steve Balog brought his wife and four children to town to visit with the Rev. Douglas Woodall of St. George's Cathedral Parrish on Southport Road before heading to Iraq later this month. Woodall doubles as the archdiocese of the armed forces, overseeing all chaplains and enlisted officers who belong to the Charismatic Episcopal Church -- a Protestant religion with Catholic flavor.

"Steve just has a tremendous testimony," Woodall said in a phone interview.

"This will be his third trip to a battle zone. He's just had tremendous results over there -- never lost a man, and they were in some of the heaviest-hit parts of Baghdad."

Balog, 36, believes his upcoming trip to Iraq will be a bit less tense than the eight months he spent there through August. His strategy the first go-round focused on getting the troops together before entering the war zone, building a rapport with them and telling them to rely on their faith.

"Everybody heard that message," Balog said. "Later, I was walking the line, from soldier to soldier, telling them . 'Don't worry, the good Lord's looking out for us. Everything's going to be all right.' Most of the time we were getting shot at when I was telling the guys."

Chaplains don't carry weapons, but are assigned an armed soldier as a shadow to help keep them safe. Balog, a Colorado native stationed in Georgia, says he joined the Army in 1988 to help serve his country and get some extra money for college. He served in Operation Desert Storm as a combat engineer, but became a chaplain in time for Operation Iraqi Freedom.

He says it's his calling. He says he loves waking up for work nowadays -- even if it's in a tent in the desert.

"I can really see a connection in their eyes, especially those who believe in sacramental presence," Balog said. "I go to each and every tank . pray for them, and put holy water on the tank. For a soldier who's big on symbolism, when that happens, it almost cements their faith: 'OK, God's got me going.' "

Chaplains face few obstacles when it comes to the local religious environment, because they concentrate strictly on U.S. troops, he said. Services are nondenominational, but they are not required to deviate from their denominational restrictions.Chaplains are responsible for finding a spiritual guide for those with different beliefs, such as Jewish or Mormon soldiers, Balog said. The unit he was assigned to during Operation Iraqi Freedom included 1,241 troops.

Despite the juxtaposition of the horrors of war with a chaplain's message of love, most soldiers don't question whether they're doing the right thing, Balog said.

"A lot of people who join the Army already buy into the idea of a just war," he said. "This is necessary, because of the evil we're facing."

Balog talks a little like he's still in the desert, even in the states -- signaling a "roger that" when he agrees with something. His next tour is slated to last one year or until America's mission is complete, whichever comes first.

"Most of us guys . we don't like being away from our family, believe me," Balog said. "But I think there's just something in you that says, 'Hey, you love it -- keeping everybody safe.' "